Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies aged 84

Notorious Great Train Robber Ronnie Biggs dies

Ronald "Ronnie" Biggs became the most infamous member of the gang that committed the Great Train Robbery - one of the most notorious robberies in British criminal history.

In August 1963, a gang held up the Royal Mail travelling post office that ran between Glasgow and London, stealing £2.6 million (equivalent to around £40 million today).

Ronnie Biggs pictured in July 1963. Credit: PA Wire

Biggs was sentenced to 30 years in prison for his part in the heist. But he managed to escape from Wandsworth Prison after just 15 months by climbing a 25 foot wall and jumping onto a mattress in a furniture van.

He then fled to Brazil, where he lived for 30 years.

Ronnie Biggs seen in September 1988 during the filming of The Prisoner of Rio. Credit: PA Wire

Biggs found himself back behind bars when he agreed to voluntarily return to Britain in 2001.

Suffering from pneumonia, Biggs was released from prison in 2009 on compassionate grounds.